The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-12-08

us that we cannot come to that fountain
ihey say the water is not ut 10 drink any
now III you arc really thirsty now, there
Is the well OF philosophy, there is the we'll of
to substitute, instead of our boyhood faith, a
many beautiful things about the soul,
md they try to feed our immor-
tul hunger on rose leaves, and mix
mint 1ulep Of worldly stimulan.s when
water OF the well of Bethlehem, which is at
the gate They try to starve us ON husks,
when the Fathers banquet is ready. and the
best ring is taken from the casket, and tho
sweetest harp is struck FOR the music,
ana the swiftest foot is already lifted
for the, dance. They patronize
eternity with their hour-glass, and the throne
OF the great God with their yard-stick
abhor it: tell you the old Gospel well is
captured we'll ] pray God that there may
be somewhere in the elect host three an
nointed men, with courage enough to go
potent Sod, with the glittering swords
of truth, to hew the way hack
again to that old we'll think tho tide is
turning, and that the old Gospel is to take its
place again in the family, and in the univer-
sity, and in the legislative hall. Men have
tried worldly PHILOSOPHERS, and have found
|
that they drop an arctic midnight upon the
death-pillow. They fail when there is a
dead child In the house; and when the soul
comes to leap into the fathomless ocean of
eternity they give to the man not so much
as broken spar to cling to- Depend upon
it, that well will come into our possession
again. though it has been captured If there
be not three anointed men IN the Lords
host with enough conservation to do the work,
then the swords will leap from Jehovah's
buckler, and the eternal three will descend
God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy
Ghost-conque"ing for our dying race tho
way back again to 1.-THE water of the well Of
Bethlehem, which is by the gate "If God
be for us, who can be against us.' 'If God
| spared not his own Son, but freely gave him up
for us all how shall he not with him also freely
| give us all things" For / am persuaded
that neither height, nor depth, nor angels,
nor principalities, nor powers, nor things
present, nor things to come shall take from
u.s. into final captivity, tho Gospel of my
blessed Lord Jesus Christ.
Again, the Gospel well, like the one spoken
OF in my text, is a well at the gate. The
traveller stops the camel to- day, and gets
down and dips out of the valley of the East
some very beautiful, clear, bright water, and
that is out OF the very well that David longed
for. Do you know that that well was at
the gate, so that nobody could go into
Bethlehem without going right past it! And
SO it is with this Gospel well-it is at the gate.
1t is, In the first place. at the gate of puritca-
tion. We cannot wash away our sins unless
with that water. l take the responsibility
of saying that there is no man, woman, or
child in this house to-day that
has escaped sinful defilement Do you
say it is outrageous and ungallant
for me to make such a charge? Do you
say: " have never stolen-I have never
blasphemed-1 have never committed un-
CHASTITY have never been guilty of |
murder" l reply, you have committed
sin worse than blasphemy, worse than I'M
chastity, worse than theft, worse than muir
der. We have all committed it. We |
have by our sins re-crucified the Lord, and |
that is decide. And if there be any who dare |
to plead mot guilty" to the indictment, then |
the hosts of heaven will be empane.ed as a |
jury to render unanimous verdict against |
us; guilty one, guilty all. With what sash |
ing stroke that one passage cuts us away |
from all our pretensions. There is none
that doeth good-no, not one" "Oh," says
some one, AL we want, all the race wants, |
is Development Now l want to tell YOU |
that the race develops without the Gospel into |
a Sodom, Five Points, great Salt Lake
City. 1t always develops downward, and |
never upward, except as the grace of God laws
hold OF it. What, then, is to become of our soul |
without Christ. Punishment. Disaster. But |
L bless my Lord Jesus Christ that there is a |
well at the gate of publication. For great |
sin, great pardon. For eighty years of trans
erosion, an eternity..of forgiveness. For crime
deep as hell, an atonement high as heaven;
that where sin abounded, so grace may much |
more abound; that as sin reigned unto death,
even so may grace reign through righteous
ness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ, our
Lord Angel of the Covenant, dip thy wing
IN this living fountain to-day, and wave it
may be washed in ''the water of the well of
Bethlehem, which is by the gate -
Further, | remark that this well of the
gospel is at the gate of comfort Do YOU
know where David was when he uttered the
words OF the text: He was in the cave of |
Aduiiam. That is where some of YOU are I
now Has the world always gone smoothly
with your has It never pursued Won
with SANDER! Is your health ALWAYS
good? Have your fortunes never
perished! Are your children all alive and
Vel! Is there no dead lamb in the foldl
are you ignorant of the way to the cemetery,
nave you. never heard the bell toll when ii
beat your heart: Are the skies as bright when
you look into them as they used to be
When other eyes, now closed, used to
look INTO them. Is there some trunk or
drawer In your house that you go to only on
anniversary days, when there comes beating
against your soul the surf of a great ocean OF
agony! 1t is the cave of Adulaml The cave
of Adullam Is there some David here
whose fatherly heart wayward Absolom has
broken' Is there some Abraham here who is
loheiy because Sarah is dead in the family
plot Of Machpelah, After thirty or forty
them to part! Why not have two seats in
the Lords chariot, so that both the old folks
might have gone up al once? NV aged mother.
III her last moment, said to my father: Father
wouldn't it be nice if we could both go to-
gether" No, no, no. We must part And
mere are wounded hearers here today. The
world cannot comfort you. What can it
bring. you' Nothing. Nothing The salve
they try to Put on your wounds will not stick
They cannot, with their bungling surgery.
mend the broken bones
Zoppar the Naamathite, and Bidad the
shuhlte, and Eliphaz the Temanite, come in,
and talk, and talk, and talk, but miserable
comtorters are they all. They can not pour
light into the cave of Adullam. They can
not not bring single draught of water from
me me well OF Bethlehem, which is by
Christ, there is comfort at the gatei
l mere is NE in the well at the gate If you
give me time, will draw up a promise for
every man, woman and child in this house.
Ay, will do it in two minutes. Twill Law
hold the rope Of the old well. What is your
weary OF life-ailments after ailments |
VIII draw up promise: 'The inhabitants
viii never say I am sick" What is your
TROUBLED "Oh it is loss of friends-bereave-
ment," you say. 1 will draw you up a
promise, fresh and COOL out of the well. Il
am the resurrection and the life: he that be-
leyeth in me, though he were dead. yet shall
ne i've" What is your trouble. You say it
IS the infirmities of old age will draw you
up a promise: "Down to old age am with
thee, to hoary hairs will | carry tbeen
What is your trouble! "Oh,' you say. 81
have widowed soul, and my children cry for !
bread bring up this promise: Leave INV
children VIII preserve them
alive, and let thy widows trust in me-" /
break through the armed ranks of your sor- {
rows to-day, and bring to your parched Inns !
"a drink of the waters of the well of Bethle.
hem, which is by the gate" |
Again, the Gospel well is at the gate Of
ieaven. have not heard yet one single in
eillgent account of the future world from
anybody who does not believe in the Rib,a
hey throw such fog about the subject that I
do not want to go to the skeptics heaven To
he transcendentalist's heaven. to the worldly 1
heaven. would not exchange
nc poore1t room IN your house for the finest {